Netball: Testing demands in sport

Most weeknights, 17-year-old goal shoot Maria Tutaia is lucky if she crawls into bed much before 10.30pm.

Tutaia is not only a member of her school side but is also part of the Auckland Waitakere team who will compete in next week's Smokefree Championships in Palmerston North.

The Mt Albert Grammar student lives and breathes netball.

"I don't get home on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays until after 9.30pm because of training," she says.

"Then I have to find the energy to do my homework. You wake up in the mornings not wanting to move."

But her hard work is paying off. Last year, when she was just 16, she was called in as a replacement for the New Zealand under-21 side for the tour to south Australia.

A few months later she secured her own spot in the team and has since battled it out on the court with Fiji, England and Australia twice.

Now she has her sights set on retaining her place in the team for next year's world youth cup in Miami.

Tutaia was introduced to the game as a bright-eyed 8-year-old.

She started out in the wing attack position - "I was short back then," she laughs. Then, following a major growth spurt - she is now 1.88m - Tutaia was nudged into a shooting role.

Now she is one of the most promising shooters in the land and was invited to attend a national squads camp in Queenstown last month.

A talented basketballer as well, Tutaia claims she got "serious" about netball when she made her first representative side, the Western Districts under-15s.

She has steadily moved her way up through the Auckland representative sides and last year was a crucial member of the Auckland under-17 team who were crowned national champions.

She expected to find herself back in an age-group team this year but was pleasantly surprised when she earned a spot in the senior side.

And so far, things are going well for Tutaia, who is one of four New Zealand under-21 players in the side.

Slotting in for Juanita Nilsen at goal attack, she had a reasonable amount of court time during the preliminary games.

"I have learned a lot from [coach] Judy Weston, she is awesome. I also enjoy playing with [goal shoot] Shelly Norris, she is very demanding and she knows what to do."

But she is well aware of how tough the tournament in Palmerston North will be. Seven games in six days is gruelling enough, never mind the opposition.

"Netball North and Waikato are going to be tough but I have heard Wellington have a really good team as well," Tutaia says.

"Everybody is going to be hard to beat."

With all that netball you'd think schoolwork might provide a bit of a break.

But netball - yes, netball - rounds out her seventh-form subjects, along with management, tourism, classics and English.

Former Silver Fern Te Aroha Keenan takes the netball class, which include training, sports psychology and nutrition.


Although she is keen to further her study next year, Tutaia says a lot depends on whether or not she makes a franchise team.

But she does have a few ambitions.

"I want to be a police officer, I want to own my own gym and I want to do a bachelor of business studies," she says.

Which just goes to prove, the more hectic the better.


Maria Tutaia

Age: 17.

School: Mt Albert Grammar.

Height: 1.88m (6ft 2in).

Position: GS, GA.

Career highlights:

2003/04: New Zealand under-21 side.

2004: Auckland Waitakere.